09 Cinci: started off well and died on the vine: for the season:22nd in pts scored/6 in pts allowed.
Last 6 games: 3-3, losing to Oakland (5-11), MN (12-4), SD(13-3)
and beating Browns(5-11), Detroion(2-14) and KC(4-12)
scoring avg 17.8pts/game over that stretch
08 Ravens
11th in scoring, 3rd in pts allowed
9-2 over last 11 games
5-1 over last 6 games, beating 3 .500 or better teams and only losing to the eventual SB champions, the Steelers during this string
went on to win 2 PO games
Fins drew a team on the rise with above average offense and stifling defense in 08
Jest drew a dead team walking (including their WR literally) with a better than average defense but worse than average offense
Considering that in 09 the last time they played, the Fins beat the Jest, and the caliber of Cinci play by the time they drew them, there's no doubt the Fins would have prevailed and moved at least one additional if not two levels up in the POs.
Ditto, in consideration of how the jest couldn't even close at home against Atlanta, couldn't beat a winning team until they laid down for them over the last 6 games, there's no doubt that the 09 jest would have been pummelled by the 08 version of the Ravens.
As said, it's the luck of the draw.. NYJ did nothing to earn a bearth in the playoffs, both teams were comparable at 7-7 and there's no reason to think that had the Fins been graced with that charity, they too could have gone deep into the playoffs. It is what it is... and that's a cubic zirconia faux season that's very *asterisk worthy.
It's about the body of work throughout the course of a year. They swept Baltimore and Pittsburgh, my guess is they are the only team to do so since realignment in 2002.
In their last 6 games they lost 4 times- 3 of the losses were to teams that made the div rd(w/ 2 of those being title game teams). They had one bad loss, a close loss to oak.
Phins drew a team that hadn't won a playoff game since the last time they faced Miami in Miami(2001), w/ a rookie QB who 4 years later only had one good postseason game under his belt, a Bal team w/o Ray Rice to worry about. The D was better b/c they had a better DC but Bal's O was not very good.
By the way, in 2009 they were 11th in pts scored and remianed 3rd in D yet Cincy swept them.
who cares that Miami beat the Jets in 2009?
Miami couldn't even compete at HOME in the playoffs, how were they expected to go on the road against a teamt hat would sweep a similar Bal team a year later?
We earned our spot more than Miami did w/o having to face Brady and w/ that cake sched in 2008 and again once in postseason we proved we belonged ulike a team that was humiliated at home in the WC rd.
I watched both games. So missed field goals change the way the game plays out, but only to benefit the Jets?
Even if you have a 23-13 lead, Manning is still going to score 17 unanswered points to make it 30-23.
Even if you don't include the 57 yard miss (which was not an unrealistic attempt) SD missed the first easy field goal (37 yards) on their second possession of the game. No one scored until SD scored a TD in the second quarter. It would have been 10-0 SD. The Jets don't score until the 3rd making it 7-3 SD. Right at the end of the 3rd SD turns it over deep on there side of the field. You don't think SD plays that series a little different if it is a 2 possession game at that point? Even with the turnover and score, it would have been 10-10 had SD made the first field goal. The Jets next score is at the 7:17 mark in the 4th making the score 17-7 (17-10 with the field goal). On SD next possession they drive into field goal range, and what do you know, another missed field goal. It would have been 17-13. The Jets tried to run out the clock, but could not. SD gets the ball back and scores what could have been the game winner. I suppose this is the drive that you will claim the Jets went into prevent defense right? Isn't a prevent defense supposed to stop big plays? Why then did SD gain 11 yards, 37 yards, and 19 yards in their first 3 plays of that series?
09 SD was very overrated. 09 SD only won 3 games against teams with winning records and lost to a Jets team that was let into the playoffs. 08 Bal made it to the AFCC game that year.
The Jets get credit for all the playoff wins, but the weak competition makes a big difference when you are comparing playoff wins.
I don't know how they change those games? Nobody does but missed kicks are part of the game, they helped us in Cincy and SD and hurt is in Indy.
How do you know it would have been 10-0>? again, you assume the game plays out exactly the same which is incorrect to do. We have no idea how things change if the Jets are playing from behind early. maybe they pres and turn it over? Maybe they score a TD or a FG in the first half? who knows?
The Jets had shut down SD's O all game long, up 17-7 late SD goes right down the field for the score- you don't think we play that differently if it's 17-13?
We didn't face one weak team in postseason, we had 2 good WC teams on the ROAD then faced the 2 hottest teams in the NFL and SB favorites in the div rd beating them both.
